Jaime’s Memorial service will be held at Blackburn Gardens, Old New South Head Rd, Double Bay.Tomorrow 28/10/2013.

Jaime Robertson was one of the original founding members of the wonderful O’Punksky’s Theatre ensemble.For a number of years Jaime was one of O’Punksky’s share holders and on the board of directors.Jaime and I met on the steps of the old Crossroads Theatre in Forbes St, Darlinghurst.Formerly the ABC Radio National sound studios now S.C.E.G.S.We were preparing to read for Maeliosa Stafford, Artistic Director of O’Punksky’s Theatre’s first production: Observe the Son’s of Ulster Marching Towards the Somme by Frank McGuinness.Jaime was practicing his Ulster dialect with me outside before we went into the tiny Crossroads office to read.We were both successful and were cast as onstage partners, playing young soldiers in an Ulster regiment.Soldiers sent off to die for King and Country on the battlefields of the Somme in WWI.It was a glorious beginning for O’Punksky’s Theatre the hit of the 1990 Sydney Festival, along with Gale Edwards ‘The Rover’ for the Sydney Theatre Company.And it was the start of a wonderful on and offstage friendship for Jaime and I.We went on to do many projects together, including ‘Exiles’ by James Joyce (photo), Prelude to Joyce’s Artist a co production with Bogdan Koca’s - Thalia Theatre, Crossroads and O’Punksky’s Theatre.

One of the highlights of our collaboration was ‘Much Ado About Nothing’ by William Shakespeare for Bickerstaffe in Kilkenny Castle, Kilkenny, Ireland.Jaime starred and I co directed with Maeliosa Stafford.Starring alongside Jaime in 'Much Ado' was Cillian Murphy, Aiden Kelly, Owen O’Neill, Ray McBride, Michael Burke, Martin Bridgeman, Joe Hanley and many more wonderful actors.Produced by Richard Cook.During that time Jaime and I toured Ireland shared digs, lock ins and pints in both Galway and Kilkenny towns.

What’s the worst that could happen in a creative career that cultivates self-expansion, empathy, and in-the-moment awareness? Unfortunately, that list is a bit too long for one blog post. So we’ve culled a few of our favorite stories from local actors. Hopefully readers can learn the lessons gleaned from these less than ideal circumstances without re-experiencing the unscripted drama.#2. WOOPS!Actor and comedian Josiah Correll was just getting his start on the stage when, in his junior year of college, he was invited to portray an historical figure for a small gig in Kentucky. Since the venue — Fort Harrod — was a few hours away from his home town of Lexington (and, well, because it paid about $300 an hour), Correll signed up immediately.Unbeknownst to him, there was no script for this ordeal. A few weeks before the event was scheduled, he caught wind that he’d been required to write a monologue for Jim Harrod, the famed man he was slated to portray in front of a group of elementary school students. Rather than offloading the task to another willing actor, Correll assured the event staff he’d be all over it, no problem.The day of the performance, Correll ended up getting lost en route to the venue. He showed up about 15 minutes late and stepped out of his car to the warm welcome of a very unhappy event manager — who had also been expecting an entire production team, not one lone college guy.Correll rushed backstage to change into costume, then stumbled out to deliver a 20-minute speech to an audience of seven-, eight-, and nine-year olds. He noticed some giggles as he spoke but chalked it up to kids just being kids. But once the question and answer part of the gig arose, more audience members began raising their hands and pointing at him.“I didn’t know what they were pointing at,” Correll recalls. “I would say sorry, you have to speak up. They wouldn’t say anything, so I’d move on to the next hand. But then this little girl finally stands up and goes ‘yer barn dawr is open.’ And I look down and I see I’ve literally ripped my pants — my entire crotch was out of my pants.”Unfortunately for everyone, Correll was also “going through a phase in life where I thought underwear was unnecessary.”An eruption from laughter trailed Correll as he sauntered off the stage. And he kept his head low when he re-emerged in his regular clothes, outside the performance area. The event manager wasn’t exactly inclined to give him his paycheck, but a brief agreement that he’d promise not to come back settled the matter and he ended up walking away with a fair enough cut.I now have a pretty ridiculous fear of accidentally exposing myself on stage,” Correll laments. Though he remarks that, by now, he’s learned to laugh at his unintentional anatomy lesson.The takeaway? Plan in advance, ask what’s required of you, and please, if you don’t think you’ll be able to keep your pants from ripping, remember to wear your undergarments.

The lads have a great night out to see: MACONDO'S COTHESLINE at Old 505 Theatre. Delightful, whimsical, feminine, erotic....poetically composed and performed. Season closed.Go to www.marquezlaundry@gmail.com and find out more.

REEL DO’S and DON’TSPosted: 7th Jan 2012 09:39 AM PSTREEL DO’S and DON’TS by Helen AbellThe basic purpose of a reel is to grab the attention of the agent or casting director by putting selections of your highest quality material together to put your best face forward and then leave them wanting more.If you’re sitting there thinking, “I don’t have enough material,” Don’t worry! You can put together a speed reel of short clips of your work or even selections of (professionally taped) recent student films.Important DO’s to remember:*Know what you are auditioning for and to whom you are marketing towards.*Always! Lead off with your strongest, most recognized, professional quality material. Then finish up with your second strongest piece of work. Give it a nice bookend.*It must be focused on YOU! The first face they see should be yours.*Know your type and focus your material in a way that highlights your type. As your reel continues on you can diversify away from your type and show them how you can stretch, but you want to begin with how you are most easily cast. You want the casting director or agent’s first thought to be, “Yes. I can see that. I know how to cast this person.”*If you are submitting for a particular audition and your dominant type presented in your reel doesn’t necessarily match what you are auditioning for-it is better to submit good material rather than nothing at all. Who knows! They may consider you for another part or cast against type! Stranger things have happened!*Always choose Quality over Quantity. One clip of strong professional work is worth a lot more than 5 badly edited, badly lit scenes.*Make sure your finished reel is posted on the casting sites! It gives you a leg up. Your submission is more likely to be seen if it has a video attached.How long should it be?*A professional reel, which includes network television and major film credits, should not be any longer than 5 minutes.*If you do not have a legitimate number of credits, it is a good idea to keep it between 1 minute and 30 seconds minimum and 3 minutes maximum.*If you don’t have a lot of material the best thing to do is to create Speed Clips instead of a reel. 30 seconds to 1 minute of good quality material from one project is better than throwing a bunch of mixed quality things together. Break it up and showcase yourself with the little clips.*Most importantly, the first 30 seconds are the most crucial!Putting it togetherA title card at the beginning of your demo is a great way to start out. It should include your name and your web address.If you are putting it on your website or into an email, it should be embedded or no more than one click away via youtube or vimeo. You don’t want to make Agents or CD’s have to chase you down. They don’t have the time, so make their lives a little easier.Each clip should be well edited and it should not over show you. You don’t want to show the entire scene/show/film/etc, you want to give a glimpse and leave them wanting more.Remember: The point of a reel is to:

Show what you look like on camera

Show your dominant type

Demonstrate your acting ability

And when you have enough material: it should demonstrate your acting range.

Keep It Simple! But if you know how to do a bit of editing, allow yourself to play around with it. Add a little light background music or a still shot of you in the opening. Be wise though and get some feedback on it before you send it out. And if you are clueless about editing, get it professionally done.Be proud of your work, but be realistic about what you have done. If the quality is bad or sound, lighting, and editing is not up to par, then it should not be used no matter how good the acting. If it distracts from the performance, then it is not good and it won’t help you.Good quality footage from Film and Television is the best business card you can have; it gives you credibility. Short and really good is better than long and pretty good.For Theatre: all of the above applies.*Most theatre auditions are in person and a reel is not necessary. However, on the occasion you have to send a reel for an out-of-town audition, or if one is requested of you, it is a good idea to have one ready.*Make sure it is an accurate representation of your work.*Performance footage is awesome, but not always easy to obtain and this is understood in the industry.*If you are taping a song, dance number, or scene: 1. Make sure it is project specific. Ask yourself: What do they need to see if you can’t be in the room? 2. When compiling material for a specified audition, do not cut together the best portions- it should be shown in one take. 3. When compiling material for a theatre reel: same rules apply as in film and television.Written by Helen Abell with interviews from Vince Pisani, A-List Atlanta Actor, & Vic DiMonda, Associate Producing Director of the John W. Engeman Theatre

HEADSHOTS: DO’S & DON’TS by Helen AbellHEADSHOTSYour headshot is your best marketing tool. The most important thing to remember is it must look like you. What walks into the room matches what is on your photo! Your headshot should showcase you on your best day and should convey your type, your essence, and your personality.There are a lot of variables when talking about headshots. So for the sake of argument, and to keep me from rattling on for pages and pages, I will be talking about your basic headshot, from the shoulders and up, though some of the information below can be applied to all photo shoots.Before you go:Be prepared and do your research.Photographers*Find a photographer you are comfortable with! This is so important! You need to be able to relax in front of the camera and if your energy doesn’t mesh well with the person taking the pictures, it will read all over your face and will create an unusable photo.*Research them well. Look at their website or their book. Have they shot actors similar to you? If you are a short, Hispanic, character musical theatre actor, it’s probably not the best idea to choose a photographer who is used to shooting models full time and actors part-time, even if their photos are amazing. Are they really good at honing in on an actor’s essence? When looking at their other work, do you get a feeling of who that actor is? Does the photo express something?*Call up several different photographers and don’t be afraid to ask questions. Do they shoot in a studio? Or do they shoot outdoors in natural light? Are touch-ups included? Do you get a disk of all your photos?Clothing*You want to portray your most dominant or playable type, but you don’t want to dress in “costume”. It is a better idea to reflect your character traits and personal essence.*Plan your clothing choices ahead of time. Make sure they are clean and ironed. Try on your clothing choices and play around with different colors.*Stay away from crazy patterns. You don’t want to pull focus away from your beautiful face.*You want to pick clothes you like and are comfortable in.*Bring options. A good photographer will know what works and what doesn’t.Drink lots of water a couple days before and get a good night’s sleep.During the Shoot:Hair and Make-UpIf you are having someone do your hair and make-up, it is very important that it is not overdone. You still have to look like you (on a nice day) and not the glamor shot version of yourself. You have to be able to recreate the look at your auditions.The ShootBefore the shoot make sure you have communicated with your photographer about what kind of photos you are looking for … i.e. Commercial, Film/Television, or Theatrical. Depending on the type of photography package you get and how the photographer works, you may be able to shoot multiple types.You want your headshot to focus anywhere from mid-chest to shoulders and up and it’s usually a good idea if your head is not cut off.The main focus is your beautiful smiling face. If you are going for a Commercial look, the industry likes to see your teeth! Show off those pearly whites!There is nothing wrong with a full body photo or with a ¾ shot, in fact it is good to have in your book, but these types of photos usually work best on casting sites like Casting Networks, 800 Casting, or actorsaccess. For your typical audition it’s best to stick with the close up.Your eyes should be going through the lens, not to the lens. There should be something going on behind your eyes. Allow yourself to play! Have Fun! Some photographers let you bring music (if you are shooting in a studio), so bring your favorite tunes and let yourself go.If you have certain statements or phrases about yourself you like, don’t be afraid to say them out loud. I used my Sam Christensen essence statements and ended up with some very dynamic photographs. You want to fill the photo not just with your face, but with your energy.After the ShootTouch-ups: Don’t overdo it! If it’s noticeable it just won’t work. They don’t want to see an airbrushed version of yourself, just the awesomeness that is you!Printing: Matte finish is preferred to Glossy.It goes without saying that they should be in color.Get feedback! Narrow it down and eliminate the obvious ones that just don’t work. Whether it’s something weird in the background or your eyes are half closed or what have you. Then show them to a variety of people…i.e. Your agent, manager, teachers, industry professionals, friends (though be careful if they are not in the industry. A good question you can ask your friends is “Does this look and feel like me?”)Written by Helen AbellWith interview by Vince Pisani, A-List Atlanta Actor

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John O'Hare's Blog is a professional Acting and Director's Blog at ACTT in Sydney, with 25 years experience in Theatre, Film and T.V. ask John about auditions, acting problems, blocks, plays, scripts, texts, Eric Morris, NIDA, WAAPA